1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a control device for an electrical appliance.
2. Description of the Background Art
Known from EP 0 797 227 A2, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,131, is a control device for controlling an electrical appliance. The control device has a handle as a transmitter unit with a ferromagnetic disk that rests upon a plate of the electrical appliance. An annular magnet is located beneath the plate. By means of the magnet, a force is exerted on the ferromagnetic disk and holds the handle in its axial and radial position in such a way that the handle is rotatable as well as being easily removable from the plate of the electrical appliance without tools.
Known from DE 102 12 929 A1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,435, is a control device of the generic type for a cooktop. In this design a restoring force is exerted on the transmitter unit of the control device by means of magnetic force from the bottom side of the cooktop, and the control device is positioned. The transmitter unit has a base in a center region. A receiver unit with sensors is located on the bottom side of the cooktop to detect the rotary and tilting motions of the transmitter unit. In addition, from DE 20 2004 017 133 U1 a transmitter unit of the generic type is known that controls the individual burner plates of the cooktop by rotating and displacing the transmitter unit on the surface of the cooktop, which is implemented as glass ceramic, for example, via a receiver unit that is located under the cooktop and has a sensor.
Moreover, another control device of the generic type with a transmitter unit and a receiver unit is known from DE 10 2006 034 391 A1. The cylindrical transmitter unit comprises a magnetizable element in a center region and multiple individual magnets arranged in an edge region. In addition, the transmitter unit has a contact surface in a center region with which the transmitter unit rests on the cooktop in a rest position. A convex region adjoins the edge of the transmitter unit on the contact surface. As a function of the direction of tilt, different parts of the convex region of the transmitter unit rest on the cooktop over the receiver unit. In addition to a magnet that is centrally located under the transmitter unit and that serves to position the transmitter unit, the receiver unit also includes multiple sensors located at angles of 60° around the central magnet. By means of the sensors, which are designed as Hall sensors, for example, a signal associated with the direction of tilt and the amount of tilt of the transmitter unit can be output, with which signal the cooktop can be controlled.